In the last few years so-called “Drive by Wire” systems have been proposed, which envisage the use of electromechanical systems for management and electronic control of the main functions of a vehicle, for example steering, change gear, clutch, and braking system, in place of conventional heavy and bulky mechanical and hydraulic devices. In particular, electromechanical-braking (brake-by-wire) systems have been proposed, using, instead of traditional hydraulic callipers, actuators of an electromechanical type, appropriately driven by an electronic control unit. Brake-by-wire systems offer better housing solutions, eliminating the problems deriving from the hydraulic component, with the further environmental advantage determined by the absence of brake fluid, and also offer a complete active control of the vehicle braking system, being integrated with other on-board electronic devices, such as ABS, EBD, ESP, TCS, etc. For example, in the case of ABS (Antilock Braking System), modulation of braking in the case of wheel-locking can be directly applied to the braking system, without intervening indirectly on the pressure of the hydraulic system, as occurs in conventional systems. Furthermore, more sophisticated and refined control logic can be implemented, for example for partialization of the braking between the various wheels of the vehicle.
A problem linked to the use of an electromechanical-braking system is represented by the difficulty of guaranteeing the safety of the vehicle during driving in order to ensure a level of safety at least comparable to what is currently offered by traditional hydraulic-mechanical systems. In particular, the control strategies of electromechanical-braking systems that have been proposed are not satisfactory, and in particular are not robust against structural changes in the braking systems, due for example to aging, wear, and malfunctioning of corresponding electrical/mechanical components.